Most Americans want government to keep funding Planned Parenthood, Obamacare: poll

The American people may not be in step with Donald Trump's right-wing agenda

By Matthew Rozsa

Staff Writer

Published January 27, 2017 6:10PM (EST)

FILE - This Aug. 25, 2015, file photo, Planned Parenthood Action Council holds a community rally at the state Capitol, in Salt Lake City. A federal appeals court is ordering Utah to continue sending money to the state branch of Planned Parenthood, overturning an earlier ruling that allowed the governor to defund the organization. ((Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP))
FILE - This Aug. 25, 2015, file photo, Planned Parenthood Action Council holds a community rally at the state Capitol, in Salt Lake City. A federal appeals court is ordering Utah to continue sending money to the state branch of Planned Parenthood, overturning an earlier ruling that allowed the governor to defund the organization. ((Leah Hogsten/The Salt Lake Tribune via AP))

President Donald Trump is working hard with Republicans to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal Obamacare — but a new poll strongly suggests the American people don't want these things to happen.

"Most American voters are satisfied with the quality and cost of their healthcare and say Obamacare, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) should be fixed, but not repealed," announced Quinnipiac University in a press release on Friday. The survey also found that an overwhelming majority of voters — 84 percent — believe that Congress should not repeal the ACA without first having a replacement plan in effect.

Similarly the poll found that, when voters were asked whether they support Planned Parenthood and abortion was not mentioned, 62 percent oppose cutting off federal funding to the organization, as opposed to only 31 percent who supported it.

When the question specifically mentioned that the government funding would only go to non-abortion services like cancer screenings, 80 percent voters opposed cutting off federal funding and only 12 percent still supported doing so.

When it came to abortion overall, the study found that 28 percent of respondents believe abortion should be legal in all cases, 36 percent believe it should be legal in most cases, 22 percent believe it should be illegal in most cases, and 9 percent believe it should be illegal in all cases. Voters, on the other hand, decisively support the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade ruling by 70 percent to 26 percent.

These findings have come out on the same day as the anti-abortion March for Life on Friday in Washington. Vice President Mike Pence spoke at the event, becoming the highest-profile government official to speak in person at the annual event.


By Matthew Rozsa

Matthew Rozsa is a staff writer at Salon. He received a Master's Degree in History from Rutgers-Newark in 2012 and was awarded a science journalism fellowship from the Metcalf Institute in 2022.

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Abortion Anti-abortion Anti-choice March For Life Planned Parenthood Pro-choice Pro-life